Alexandre Dujeux an obvious Lorient choice, Laurent Koscielny link helps case | OneFootball

Lorient are expected to appoint Alexandre Dujeux to replace Olivier Pantaloni. The 50-year-old left Angers on three June after terminating a contract running to 2028.

According to L'Équipe, while other candidates were explored, talks involving BKFC, the club’s owners, and sporting director Laurent Koscielny made Dujeux the obvious choice in recent days.

Koscielny knows Dujeux from their 2008-2009 season together at Tours, where both started in defence. That side also included Olivier Giroud in attack.

Dujeux is praised for his human qualities and an attractive style implemented with limited means at Angers, where survival was the brief. He previously served as Pantaloni’s assistant at Tours in 2013-2014, then at AC Ajaccio from 2015 to 2021.

Courted for months by Nice deputy vice-president Maurice Cohen and, more recently, by a foreign club, he has given his preference to a stable project as uncertainty persists at Nice, who could be sold to an Anglo-Saxon fund. He regards Lorient as a step up from Angers.

He is set to be joined by Angers assistants Lamine Mbaye, 45, whose deal ends on 30 June, and Romain Hequet, 37, who is expected to be released. The all-French staff are due to be confirmed by the end of the week, a point that may reassure supporters uneasy with BKFC’s multi-club model after January’s takeover. BKFC also own AFC Bournemouth and hold a majority stake in Moreirense. What comes next in the transfer market remains to be seen.

Source: L'Équipe